Just this Once (Katherine | Damon)

One thought played itself over and over in Katherine's mind, and it wasn't a very happy one. "I'm screwed." That was all she could think about. She couldn't run anywhere, she was tired of it and she wouldn't have it anymore. Running was all she did for over 500 years, and she refused to keep on doing it. Where would it get her? She'd survive, but she wouldn't live. Her other option was to get the hybrid boy, but how? That was the million dollar question. He was with the Authority, and Katherine didn't really think she had a chance of getting him. She'd try, of course, and she'd act like she was sure that she would succeed, but that wasn't what she really thought. She had enough experience with Authority-like things to know how they worked. If the boy had been brainwashed by them, there was no way she was going to get him to join Russel, and so Katherine was sure that in around five weeks her heart was finally going to meet the outside world.

And that was how Katherine wound up in a bar, downing shot after shot and trying out drinks whose names she couldn't even pronounce. That way she got to at least dim out the little voices in her head telling her that she was as good as dead. It was the first time in years that Katherine truly got drunk, the first time in years she felt that strange, powerful feeling that she could do anything. And what was the anything Katherine thought about doing? Pay Damon and Stefan a little visit. She had no idea what she was going to do there, but something told her that she needed to go talk to him. Maybe it her subconscious taking advantage of her lessened guard, she didn't know not care.

Without hesitation, she walked in and called out their names.

I was up in my room, sitting in Kevin's bed when all of a sudden I heard Her call out for me. I knew it was Katherine because Elena had just left the manor. I dashed downstairs, pinning her the floor, snarling in her face. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you here and now!?" I spat the question at Katherine, squeezing her neck.

With her reflexes severely impaired, Katherine was pinned to the ground. She didn't struggle to free herself. Somehow, having Damon pin her down like that was pleasurable if much. She didn't feel threatened at all. Why feel threatened? It was such a stupid thing. Katherine looked up at him, amused by his words more than hurt - and she did get hurt. Her defenses were down, which meant actually feeling. "Because I just came here to talk?" She said in a voice that was completely innocent, one that she hadn't used in centuries.

Then, she giggled. The small part of her mind that was still sober frowned upon making such a sound, but she didn't care. She didn't much care about anything at that moment, and that felt really, really good. "Did I ever tell you you look funny when you're angry?"

I gave a "What the hell?" look to Katherine and said, "Are you drunk?" I asked quizically to Katherine. Oh great! Now, I have to keep her here. wonderful, I thought rolling my eyes. "Did I ever tell you, you were a Bitch? Oh wait - did," I said, giving her a sarcastic smirk. I let up off the floor gently and set her down on the couch, sitting next to her, even though I wanted to rip her heart out and use it as a wallet.

Katherine nodded enthusiastically at Damon's question. Yes, she was drunk and she was loving it. She really couldn't understand why she hadn't thought about doing something like that before.

She let herself be lifted off the ground, taking a little bit of offense on what Damon said. But it was true, she realized, the thoughts that had come to her before, when she was trying to save Damon from Royce, catching up with her again. She was a bitch to him, and a part of her - a big part of her at that moment - felt very sorry for it. She let it show for once, she let him see that she was sorry. "I'm sorry for what I did. I'm really sorry."

I was about to say something to Katherine, but then that's when she apologized to me. Who the hell is this woman? I thought wildly in shock rather than anger. Katherine Never apologizes, but then again, it must be because she's drunk. I actually somehow formed a gentle smile rather than a frown, and said, "You actually mean it?" I asked her, looking into the gentle eyes of Katherine. The weird part about it was that she was truly sorry. I opened my mouth then closed it again, then began to speak again. "Why can't you act like this all the time? Time has dramatically changed, Katherine... You can be good. I know you can..."

Katherine nodded, looking at Damon with a look that she knew she didn't often wear for it felt weird to make it, but it felt right, like something she should have done a long time before. It was a soft, almost fragile look. "Yeah, I mean it."

"I don't know... I guess I don't have the courage to do it. It's strange and, well, scary. But I want to, right now. I want to act this way. It feels right." Even drunk, it was hard to say all that. She was so used to locking all of her emotions down, to hiding in the safety of her rational mind, and stepping out of that was definitely scary, but she wanted to say all that. She'd wanted to say it for a long time, and finally, she could. Finally, she could gather up the strength to deal with everything she'd locked away, to deal with her humanity.

I actually for the first time in awhile gave Katherine a sincere smile. "I'm glad you feel this way ... It makes me glad that I can talk to like this. I want forget about the past in Mystic Falls - Everything. Klaus made our lives hell, and what's worse is Elena's a Vampire when she didn't even want to be one. I know it's good that Klaus can't take her blood anymore, but she didn't want this life." I said, explaining to Katherine, hoping that she wouldn't get mad.

Katherine sighed, the words coming to her easier than usual. Nice words, not the sarcastic and mean ones. Those usually came to her quite easily. Nice words, though, were usually hard to summon. "The choice can be tough, but Elena didn't even get to have a choice." She had a look of sympathy on her face, and a small, sober part of her mind wondered how she even knew what sympathy felt like. She absentmindedly passed her hand on the place where the rope had strangled her so many centuries before. "But maybe it's good that she didn't have a choice." Katherine mused. "It can be hard to live with, the choice of leaving everything human behind. I don't regret it but... I do wonder if I would have been able to be free from Klaus and human as well."

I smiled at Katherine and said, "Yeah. Stefan is completely in blame mode for the whole thing. I blame the cunt Rebekah and Matt for what Happened to Elena though. Matt could've kept Elena where it was safe, and Rebekah made Matt's car go over the bridge and that's how Elena died," I said, biting my lip. "Alaric is now gone though, and he staked Klaus, but he probably had his body regenerated now." I said rolling my eyes.

Alaric was gone? Katherine wasn't sure how she felt about that. She hadn't known him very well, but she liked anyone who staked Klaus, even if he could have killed her. It was then that she remembered that Damon and Alaric had been friends, and while in her normal state she wouldn't have cared, the way she was at that time made her feel sorry for Damon. He didn't have a lot of true friends. "I'm sorry about Alaric. I know you were close."

"Well, drowning is better than hanging, if that's any comfort." She realized what she'd been doing and let her hand rest back on her side. "What was she doing on the road with Matt that day? I thought she was supposed to be indoors while you did the whole Klaus dead-not-dead thing. I might have heard wrong, but..."

I sighed and said, "Matt put something in Elena's drink to make her fall asleep and Matt took her with her, trying to get her out of town, but Elena forced him to turn back, and they across Wikery Bridge when Rebekah appeared in front of Matt's truck and Matt swirved off the bridge. Stefan for some reason saved Matt first, than Elena first, and when he went to get her, she was dead, but Elena woke up in Transition," I explained the whole thing , to Katherine. I shook my head, thinking about how dumb Matt was.

Katherine shook her head at Matt even though he wasn't there to see it. Taking Elena away from the place where she was surrounded by vampires that could protect her and taking her onto a road where anything could happen - and when the Originals were involved, Katherine really thought anything could happen - was pretty much the most stupid idea she'd ever heard.

"You didn't notice she was gone?" Katherine looked at him inquisitively. She didn't blame him for what had happened, of course not, but she was curious. Damon was very perceptive when it came to Elena, and she was sure that he'd have realized that she was missing, and if he did, he'd stop everything and start searching for her. But maybe she'd gotten it wrong.

I sighed and said, "I was busy trying to fight Alaric. He had staked Klaus but we had found out from Bonnie that he was still alive because of a spell she had cast on him so that we wouldn't die. Rebekah made Matt's truck go off the bridge because Elena's life was tied to his, thanks to Esther," I scoffed. What I said we earlier, I couldn't help feel like I also counted Katherine on it. Is she even apart of Klaus's bloodline anyways? I put my hand on Katherine's cheek and said, "It's been long time since we talked like this," I breathed, and then went in to kiss her on her lips.

Katherine nodded as Damon explained to her everything that had happened. So Klaus had almost gotten killed. The thought was pleasant, though it also creepped her out quite a bit. She could have died.

It really had been quite a while since they had talked like that. Not since 1864, she thought. Why was that? Why hadn't she let herself have a decent conversation with Damon since he turned? Katherine regretted that, she really did. She made a mental note not to let that happen anymore, though a part of her knew that she wouldn't ever go back to that note. Once she sobered up, she would be back to normal. The only thing that might hold her back was the fact that she didn't want things to go back to normal. "It really has..." That was the only thing she managed to get out before Damon's lips were on hers, and she was kissing him back.

The kissing was majestic. I never thought I would have this moment with Katherine ever again. Our fangs continued to extend as the ecstasy from making out continued. I withdrew from Katherine and said, "Would you like to go have so fun, Ms. Pierce?" I said temptingly, smiling as my fangs went back to normal size.

There they were again, back to where it all started. The kiss was great, but it was different from anything she'd had for a long time. There were feelings in it, and it wasn't one-sided, or if it was, it was only from her side. She was actually feeling, and for once, she wasn't scare. When Damon broke away, her fangs began to retract back to their normal size, though a sharp tip was still showing when she smiled and nodded. "It would be my pleasure, Mr.Salvatore."